Wyatt joins us and I give him a grin.He shrugs.“It’s your favorite, trouble.”
Cluelessplays in the background, and I settle in to watch it for the hundredth time.It’s light and fun, which is what I need after everything that’s happened.
Peter is still a free man.We won’t know if the FBI has arrested him for a few days.
Meanwhile, we’re safe out here in the middle of nowhere.We can figure out how we’re going to go forward.I need to decide if I’m ready to move out of my parents’ townhouse.It’s been a safe place for me to hide for years.
Maybe it’s time to stop hiding.I stood up to Verity.Nan helped with that.Fuck, I should call Nan.Maybe she and Kayla hit it off.
I tap Dante on the shoulder and he leans his head against mine.
“Did you tell my friends that I was missing?Do they know I’ve been found?”I can’t help but think of the time Hope was gone for days and we didn’t even know.Captured by a killer and held in a state of terror.
“Sebastian will let them know.”Dante kisses my temple.
I release my breath and the tension winding inside dies down.“Mom and Caitlyn?”
“They didn’t know, but Roger knows to watch over them.We told him we have you.”
A little rush goes through me.I like being theirs.
Drew runs a hand over my thigh.“You okay?”
I nod and smile.“I’m just glad to be back in your arms.”
He squeezes me to him and kisses below my ear.A rush of sparks flows through me, but I sit back in his arms to finish watching the movie.We have days to explore our connection more.
When the movie ends, Finn stands and holds his hand out to me.I press a kiss to Drew’s cheek and take Finn’s hand.
“Let’s get some fresh air.”Finn kisses my temple.The others rise and follow us out of the room.There’s a back door nearby that Wyatt opens.
“I don’t know how you keep track in this house.It’s like a maze.”I glance down the hallways before stepping out into the sunlight.
“We’ve used this as a hideout since Wyatt was notified by a lawyer he owned it.”Dante steps next to me.
I love being between Finn and Dante.Heat rushes through me, but we can’t do anything out here.I might be mad at my brother, but I definitely don’t want to put on a show for him if he happens to look out the window.
I glance back at the house.It’s huge.I’m not surprised we haven’t run into Natasha and Tom.
I turn to Wyatt.“Your father was declared dead?”
“That doesn’t mean he is, trouble.”Wyatt runs a hand through his hair and stares off into the distance.“It just means no one can find him.Good riddance.”
Fuck, there has to be some small part of him that still wants his dad, right?I couldn’t imagine not having Roger and would give anything to have my father back.“You don’t miss him?”
“He’s a con man, trouble.”Wyatt’s dark eyes meet mine.“No one misses a con man.”
I catch up to him and wrap my arms around his waist as we walk.He puts his arm around my shoulder, holding me against him.I wish I could wipe away the years between us.All the hurt from him ignoring me.All the pain he carried because Tom didn’t want him with me.
“I love you,” I say softly, because my heart feels like it’s bursting.
He kisses the top of my head.“I love you too.”
I drag in a breath of fresh air.It doesn’t matter how we got here, just that we got here.For that, I guess I do have Tom to thank since he ran off, but maybe that was more about Natasha.
Fuck it, I’ll thank Natasha, not Tom.
I straighten and walk on my own for a while.“It’s nice to be outside.That was the worst part of being held captive.I could see freedom right outside my window, but even then, there wasn’t really a way to escape.”
